


First Date

by d2fmeasurement



Category: Halt and Catch Fire
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 19:42:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9673229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d2fmeasurement/pseuds/d2fmeasurement
Summary: Takes place during season 3. Joe and Ryan go out to dinner. At first, Ryan doesn't realize it's a date.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [latenightlionheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/latenightlionheart/gifts).



Ryan looked down at the oyster on his plate skeptically. “I’ll try it,” he told Joe. “Here goes…” He managed to get it down without gagging and then involuntarily cringed at Joe. “That was, um… good. I’m glad I tried that.”

Joe looked at him affectionately and asked, “Do you want another one? We have this whole order…”

“Um.” Ryan frowned. “Uh, sure…”

Joe laughed and put his hand on Ryan’s knee. “You don’t have to eat anymore oysters.” 

“Sorry. I sort of like eating grilled cheese sandwiches. Alone in my apartment, where I don’t have to borrow a tie and jacket,” he said. He looked around the candlelit restaurant and squirmed uncomfortably. “I’m sorry.”

Joe laughed and kept his hand on Ryan’s knee. “Why are you apologizing? I mean, I wish I’d known sooner that you’re a cheap date, but it’s good to know.”

Ryan blinked. “A cheap, um… what’d you say?” 

“Date,” Joe said. He squeezed Joe’s knee.

“Oh my God, this is a date,” Ryan said.

Joe laughed. “You didn’t pick up on that when I asked you to dinner?” 

“Why did you ask me out? Couldn’t you kind of have anyone you want…”

“You tell me,” Joe said, leaning forward. “Can I have who I want?”

Ryan felt a little shiver of nervous excitement. “I mean, um… yeah. Yeah. Mhmm.”

Joe grinned and said, “That’s good to know.” 

“But, seriously, why me?” Ryan asked.

Joe tilted his head and asked, “Where’s the confident person who stalked me and demanded a job?” 

“Well, that’s because I know I can do brilliant things with code, but dating is not something I’m so practiced at.” 

“I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it,” Joe told him affectionately. 

 

They returned to Joe’s house, full of champagne and chocolate souffle. 

“Do you want to sleep on the couch like usual or would you like to come into my bedroom?” Joe asked, running his hand through Ryan’s hair.

“Um.” Ryan looked down at the floor.

“It’s okay to decline. I won’t like you less or not want to work with you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Joe told him.

“No, I want to,” Ryan said. “I just think you might be disappointed. I’ve never…”

“Been with a man?” Joe filled in. “Don’t worry about it. Just think of it as being with a person. It’s not all that different.” 

Ryan kept staring at the floor. 

“Oh. You mean you’ve never… at all?” Joe asked.

Ryan gave a quick nod. “I’ve just always been focused on computers and…” He sighed. “Do you think I’m a loser?”

“No, I think you’re adorable,” Joe said. He kissed his neck and added, “And I don’t think you could ever possibly disappoint me.” 

Ryan smiled. “Really? You’re not going to run away after you realize how not sexy and exciting I am?” 

Joe squeezed both Ryan’s hands and said, “First off, you are extremely sexy. Furthermore, the list of people who’ve ever excited me the way you do is very short.” 

Ryan beamed at him. 

“I hope it doesn’t scare you off for me to say this, but if I’m being honest, I hope to be with you for a long time.” 

He leaned in and gently kissed Ryan. Ryan eagerly kissed back. 

 

 

“How was that?” Joe asked. He wrapped his arms tightly around Ryan, tighter than Ryan had expected.

“Well, I have no basis for comparison,” Ryan reminded him. “But, it was amazing.” He rested his head on Joe’s chest for a second, but then abruptly tried to pull away from his arms.

Joe frowned. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” Ryan said. “Oh my God, nothing. I just had a breakthrough.” He stood up and went to the little whiteboard leaning against Joe’s closet door. “Just give me one second. I don’t want to forget this.”

Joe leaned back and grinned as he watched Ryan rapidly writing. “This is a really nice view.” 

Ryan glanced back over his shoulder and smiled. “I promise I wasn’t thinking about coding the entire time we were going at it.” 

“I’m happy to help your process in anyway I can,” Joe told him affectionately. 

Ryan put the cap back on the marker and then returned to bed. Joe immediately wrapped his arms around him. 

“You really like holding onto people, huh?” Ryan asked.

Joe felt a little self-conscious but managed not to show it. “Is that a problem?” 

“No, no, not at all,” Ryan said, nuzzling against Joe’s chest. “It’s nice. It makes me feel really safe.”

Joe laughed. “That’s definitely a first. Someone feeling safe with me, I mean.”

“What? Because you’re an emotionally withholding bad boy?” Ryan asked. “I totally see through that.” 

Joe raised an eyebrow. “Oh, do you?” 

“Yeah, I could see you being super-nurturing. For the right person,” Ryan said.

Joe petted his hair and asked, “And that person is you, right?”

Ryan shrugged.

“I knew that cocky guy who wouldn’t leave me alone would reappear soon,” Joe said. He kissed Ryan’s forehead. 

“Well, you were definitely enjoying yourself earlier,” Ryan said.

“So full of yourself,” Joe said affectionately. He ran a hand down Ryan’s back and said, “There are still many things I could teach you.”

Ryan grinned and said, “Teaching me things? That sounds good.”

Joe kissed down his neck. “Oh, that sounds good?” 

“Mhmm,” Ryan said happily. “You want to teach me something right now?” 

Joe raised an eyebrow and playfully asked, “Are you just hoping you’ll get another revelation to go on the whiteboard?” 

Ryan moved on top of Joe and said, “No, I’m just hoping it’ll be fun, but… I wouldn’t mind having a revelation as a bonus. I mean, you would also benefit from that.” He kissed Joe and said, “I bet you wish you’d thought of this brainstorming strategy earlier.”

Joe laughed and said, “I thought of it the second I saw you, babe.” He ran his hands up and down Ryan’s body.


End file.
